Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Punjabi Khatte Chole
Punjabi Khatte Chole (Chickpea & Tomato Curry with Ginger & Dried Mango)

Punjabi Khatte Chole

Chickpea & Tomato Curry with Ginger & Dried Mango
VegetarianOrigin Punjab

A tangy chickpea curry with softened onion and tomato, warmed with whole and ground spices and finished with dried mango powder and ginger.

Starting spice

0.3 gAdded to the oil with the onions (step 1)
01
~0.3 gpinch
spice
Keep as it is: it goes into the hot oil with the onions.

Whole spice for the onions

1.1 gStirred in once the onions have softened (step 2)
01
1.1 g6 pods
spice
Keep the pod whole; add it as it is.

Ground spices for the sauce

11 gAdded after the garlic and ginger (step 3)
01
Cumin seed · Jeeracoarsely crushed
4.2 g2 teaspoons
spice
02
5 g1 tablespoon
spice
Stir together; they go into the pan in one go.

Souring spice at the end

3 gStirred in after the heat is turned off (step 6)
01
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep as it is; add it at the end.

Everything else

01
40 g3 tablespoons
oil/fat
02
200 g
vegetable
03
Garlic · Lehsuncrushed to a coarse paste
12 g4 cloves
aromatic
04
Fresh ginger · Adrakcut into matchsticks
20 g5 cm
aromatic
05
Tomato · Tamatarroughly chopped
180 g
vegetable
06
1.6 g2 chickpeas
legume
07
497 g500 ml
liquid
08
to taste
salt
09
Coriander · Dhaniachopped, to garnish
to taste
herb

Method

  1. Warm 40.5 g vegetable oil or ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the starting spice (0.3 g asafoetida) and 200 g thinly sliced white onion. Cook for 8–10 min, stirring, until the onion softens and takes on colour.
  2. Stir in the whole spice for the onions (1.1 g green cardamom pod) and cook for 1 min. Add 12 g garlic and most of the 10 g ginger matchsticks; keep the rest for the finish. Stir for 20 sec, scraping the base of the pan.
  3. Add the ground spices for the sauce (4.2 g coarsely crushed cumin seed, 5.4 g ground coriander and 1.3 g kashmiri chilli powder) and cook for 1 min.
  4. Add 180 g roughly chopped tomato and stir well, scraping the base clean. Cook for 4–5 min, until the tomato softens.
  5. Add 480 g drained tinned chickpeas and toss for 4–5 min, until well coated. Pour in 497 g water or vegetable stock and season with salt to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20–25 min, stirring once halfway through.
  6. Press some chickpeas against the side of the pan with a spoon, then turn off the heat. Stir in the souring spice at the end (3 g dried mango powder), the reserved ginger matchsticks and chopped coriander to taste.

Don't have something?

Ghee or vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight; handles high tempering heat well and keeps flavours neutral.

  • Butter

    Use equal weight; cook over gentle heat to prevent browning the milk solids too quickly.

Asafoetida
  • Garlic powder

    Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

White onion
  • Brown onion

    Use the same weight; it is the closest everyday match, with a slightly deeper sweetness when fried.

  • Red onion

    Use the same weight; it is sharper and will tint the dish pink, so cook a little longer for sweetness.

  • Shallot

    Use the same weight; it is milder and sweeter, so reduce frying time slightly to avoid burning.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Ground coriander
  • Coriander seeds

    Dry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.

  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.

  • Garam masala

    Use 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.

Kashmiri chilli powder
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Grind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.

  • Chilli powder

    Use one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Canned chickpea
  • Dried chickpea

    Use 40–45% of the weight (100 g dried for 240 g drained tinned), soak overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, then boil 45–60 minutes until soft.

  • Green chickpea

    Same weight, fresh or frozen; boil 10–15 minutes, they stay firmer and sweeter and need a little more salt.

Water or vegetable stock
  • Vegetable stock

    Use the same weight. More savoury; adjust salt.

  • Chicken stock

    Use the same weight. Richer; not vegetarian, so omit if needed.

  • Water

    Use the same weight. Plain; add a little extra salt or spices.

Amchoor powder
  • Ground dried mango powder

    Use the same weight; same sour mango flavour. Add early so it can soften into the dish.

  • Dried mango powder

    Grind to a powder and use the same weight. Slightly coarser unless finely ground.

  • Lemon juice

    Use 5–6 times the weight, e.g. 1 tsp powder to about 5 tsp juice; add off the heat. Wetter and fresher-tasting.

Coriander
  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

  • Mint

    Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Similar dishes

Punjabi Channa Masala
Spiced Chickpea Curry with Cumin, Tomato and Dried Mango Powder
Punjabi Channa Masala tastes tangier from more dried mango powder, sweeter from sugar and hotter from more Kashmiri chilli than this dish, which has asafoetida and cumin seed and less dried mango powder.
  • Same: Punjabi Channa Masala shares chickpeas, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, green cardamom, Kashmiri chilli, ground coriander, dried mango powder and a simmered masala method with this dish.
  • Different: Compared with this dish, Punjabi Channa Masala uses ghee only, ground cumin instead of cumin seed, tomato purée, more onion, garlic, ginger and dried mango powder, sugar, and no asafoetida, and it uses less tomato and water.
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Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi tastes tangy, gently hot and savoury with tender dumplings in a light yoghurt gravy, while this dish is a tangy chickpea and tomato curry finished with dried mango powder and ginger.
  • Same: Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi shares with this dish chickpea base, onion, ginger, cumin seed, ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli, asafoetida, dried mango powder, vegetable oil and coriander.
  • Different: Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi uses chickpea-flour dumplings boiled and fried and a Greek-yoghurt gravy with turmeric, baking powder and dried fenugreek leaf, while this dish uses tinned chickpeas in a tomato-onion curry with water or stock, garlic and green cardamom.
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Punjabi Chole is darkened with tea and tastes savoury, sour and warming with pomegranate and lemon and a lightly sweet note, while this dish is tangy mainly from dried mango powder and ginger.
  • Same: Both are Punjabi-style chickpea curries built on onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, cumin, ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli and asafoetida, cooked in oil or ghee.
  • Different: Punjabi Chole uses dried chickpeas with chana dal, tea, bicarbonate of soda, pomegranate powder, black salt, sugar, dried fenugreek leaf, garam masala and lemon juice, while this dish uses tinned chickpeas, dried mango powder and green cardamom and lacks tea, dal, pomegranate and lemon.
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Bedmi Aloo is a lightly spicy potato curry with a golden turmeric gravy and dried-mango sourness, while this dish is a tangy chickpea curry with softened onion and tomato and warm whole-spice heat.
  • Same: Bedmi Aloo shares cumin seed, asafoetida, Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, ginger, tomato, dried mango powder, salt, water and coriander with this dish.
  • Different: Bedmi Aloo uses new potatoes, tomato purée, green bird's-eye chilli, turmeric and sugar instead of chickpeas, onion, garlic and green cardamom, and it uses only ghee.